Steam-boiler



G. A. STONE & J. A. WHIPPLE.

STEAM BOILER.

No. 27,843. Patented Apr. 10. 1860.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. STONE, OF ROXBURY, AND JAS. A. \VHIPPLE, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM-BOILER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,843, dated April 10, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE A. STONE and JAMES A. VVHIPPLE, the formerof Roxbury, in the county of Norfolk, and the latter of Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk, both in the State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Boilers, and that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the drawings, is afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

In the drawings Figure 1, is an elevation of a boiler made according tothe principles of our invention and Figs. 2, and 3, are re spectivelyVertical and horizontal sections through the same.

The boiler contrived by us is designed principally for use as a portableboiler, but it may be made on a large scale and the principles of ourinvention may be embodied in a variety of forms.

The objects aimed at by us and which we believe we have attained are asfollows: First, a large quantity of effective heating surface in a smallspace. Second, a conformation of boiler which can be constructed ofrequisite strength without the use of stays or socket bolts, while atthe same time but a small quantity of water is contained within theboiler, so that it will when filled, be light, proportionally speakingand with ref erence to its evaporating power, and thirdly, aconstruction of boiler, which will admit of repair and also of theremoval of scale, when there is no space left for the removal of tubesor the use of scaling instruments. And having these ends in view, wehave made a boiler with a cylindrical shell, and in which the firesurface is composed chiefly of tubes so disposed that they act as bracesto and sustain the tube chamber; we have lined the inside of the shellwith wood so as to fill up the water spaces partially and we have socombined the shell, tube box, uptake and sole plate that the shell mayreadily be removed, so as to expose the tube box for the purpose ofcleaning and repair.

With a View of obtaining a good circulation and preventing the lodgmentof steam inside the tubes, we have inclined them in certain directionsand so arranged them with respect to the water spaces that when theboiler is in action, there shall be an upward current of steam and wateron two sides of the tube box, and a downward current of water on theother two sides.

e will now proceed to describe our invention by reference to thedrawings. The shell of the boiler, it will be perceived is cylindrical,with a dome top; it therefore needs no staying and the lower edge of theshell is flanged or has a flange such as a riveted to it; to the upperpart of the shell, is secured by bolting or riveting a stufling box I),with an ordinary gland and space for packing and large enough to receivean uptake cl, to which the chimney (not represented in the drawings) isto be secured or with which the chimney is to connect; the flange is tobe secured by screw bolts and nuts (as plainly shown in the drawings) toa sole plate f, thus making a joint which may be broken and refittedbetween the shell and the heating surface which is attached to the soleplate; and to this sole plate is to be riveted or bolted firmly a tubebox such as 9; this tube box is rectangular and has a domed top, and thetubes extend across it from side to side, each row being disposed atright angles to the one above or below it or nearly so, as shown in thedrawingsand the interiors of the tubes connecting with the space betweenthe shell and tube .box, which is the water space of the boiler. Thesetubes are not horizontal but inclined upward from it, toward 2', and therows at right angles thereto proceeding upward from j, toward 7:.

To the lower side of the sole plate is to be secured a fire box made inany proper manner; that shown in the drawings will answer well, and thisbox is to be fitted with grate bars, a fire door and an ashpit. A propersteam pipe is to be secured to the upper part of the dome and the boileris to be provided with a safety valve.

Now it needs no explanation to show that this boiler needs no stays ifthe sole plate be sufficiently strong; if it be not it can be stayed (tothe tube box) or strengthened by angle iron beams. that the boiler has alarge heating surface The drawings show and on consideration it willappear that by removing the nuts on the bolts that attach the shell tothe sole plate, and by slacking the screws in the stuffing box, theshell may be lifted ofi the tube box, so that both the tubes and thetube box as well as the interior of the shell will be open for cleansingand repair. By this method of attaching the shell to the uptake and tubebox, another advantage is secured, namely, that the unequal expansion ofthe tube box and shell is compensated, and there is no straining of theone by the expansion of the other. It would further appear that theboiler would contain a quantity of water, greater than was desirable,when the boiler was to be mounted on a carriage as for a fire engine andto obviate this, we have inserted within the shell a lining of wood suchas Z, Z, disposed as it were in staves.

This lining may be held in place by bolts or in any proper manner, butwe prefer that shown in the drawings, where each stave is shown asattached to its neighbor by bent pieces of sheet iron and such a liningwill serve two purposesfirst, to fill up the water space and therebydiminish the weight, and second, as an internal lagging to prevent theradiation of heat from the steam and water, and we intend to use it forboth these purposes in various forms and arrangements of boilers, and insome cases to cover the whole interior of the shell of the boiler withit.

By inclining the tubes a continuous current of hot water or steam oreither or both of them through the tubes is secured so that no lodgmentof steam can take place within them and by arranging the rows ofinclined tubes in the manner described, there will be a continuous flowinto the tubes from the water on two sides of the tube box, and acontinuous flow from the interior of the tubes into the water space onthe other two sides of the tube box, thus obviating confiictingcurrents, and causing the tubes to be filled solidly with water. As thewater space is small compared with the evaporative power of the boilerand the circulation will be active, some priming may be expected andwith the view of meeting such a contingency and of making the steamspace as small as is consistent with the proper working of the boiler,we have arranged in the dome above the water level, a foam plate such asm, attached to the shell and extending across the steam space andembracing the uptake, a part of its periphery being cut away, over thatportion of the water space of the boiler, in which the water descends tosupply the tubes. This plate will serve to deflect the current of steamand water rising on two sides of the tube box, causing them to passunder it to the other two sides where the water will descend to keep upthe circulation in the tubes, and the steam will rise over the edge ofthe plate into the steam space above.

It will be perceived that the foam plate slopes down toward its openpart, which is for the purpose of conducting the water (which rises withthe steam) in a downward direction, and in this way to take advantage ofits momentum (as well as its gravity) to carry it down, the steam risingin consequence of its specific levity. The plate may also be horizontalor even inclined upward toward its open part, and will serve the purposedescribed but not so fully, as when sloped as specified; for the reasonsexplained. This foam plate may be secured to the uptake and extend tothe shell, but we prefer the mode of attaching it to the shell, andencircling the uptake as closely as possible in order to prevent theascent of water between the edge of the plate and shell of theboilers-the only intended open ing in the plate being where shown in thedrawings.

The joint between the flange on the shell and the sole plate may be madetight with india-rubber packing or in any other proper manner and asbefore stated the principles of our invention may be carried out under agreat variety of forms.

We are aware of the fact that a boiler has been used about the harbor ofNew York, which had an upright cylindrical shell, and a rectangular tubebox within, with tubes crossing at right angles so as to stay the box;but these tubes were horizontal and the shell was solidly andpermanently attached to the uptake, and to the tube box or acontinuation thereof. It was impossibleto clean this boiler or repair itproperly and there was no proper circulation through its tubes, and theboiler was removed from the boat and replaced by an ordinary singlereturn horizontal flue boiler.

We claim as of our invention 1. The combination of tubes sloping upwardand arranged in rows relatively to each other, substantially asspecified, with water spaces, connecting with these tubes, andsubstantially surrounding a vertical tube box; the combination beingsubstantially such as described for the purposes specified.

2. We claim combining the shell of a boiler with the heating surface, orevaporating surface thereof by means of a stuffing box, and a jointsubstantially such as are specified, for the purposes set forth.

3. We claim combining with a boiler shell an inside lining of wood orother non-conducting material, arranged therein substantially in themanner, and for the purposes described; and

4. Vs claim in combination with a tube box supporting tubes arrangedsubstantially in the manner described, and With the steam space of aboiler, a foam plate, arranged sub- 5 stantially in the manner setforth, and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names in the cityof Boston,

on this twenty ninth day of August, A. D. 1859.

GEORGE A. STONE. JAMES A. VVHIPPLE.

In presence of BENJ. F. COOKE, JNo. L. HUNTER.

